Condolences Continue over Tueni’s Death, Hollande: He Remained a Free Man Committed to Lebanon

Condolences over the death of the “Dean of Journalists” in Lebanon Ghassan Tueni continued to pour in on Friday and Saturday with French President Francois Hollande expressing his “great” sorrow over his passing.

He said in a statement: “Despite all the tragedy that struck his family, he remained a free man who was committed to serving Lebanon.”

“I want to praise this great journalist and diplomat has been recognized in Lebanon and abroad for his intellectual and professional prowess,” he stated.

“An Nahar newspaper is a testament to this major success whereby he transformed it into one of the most beautiful achievements of Arab journalism during the past decades,” he remarked.

“France, which has enjoyed a deep friendship with Ghassan Tueni, is sad for his loss,” concluded Hollande.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius meanwhile also expressed his “sadness” over the news of Tueni’s passing, describing him as a “prestigious” individual who “passionately struggled for the sovereignty of his country.”

He saluted “Tueni, the great Francophile and man of literature and culture who embodied the diversity of Lebanon.”

Kuwaiti monarch Shiekh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah expressed his deep condolences over Tueni’s death, sending a cable to President Michel Suleiman on Friday praising the pioneering role the deceased played in Arab media and Lebanese journalism.

Condolences continued to pour in Lebanon, with the Vice President of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan saying that the country “has lost one of the great Lebanese men” who have left their mark on the national and Arab scene.

“He embodied wisdom and courage in his national positions and he served as the best representative for Lebanon on the Arab scene,” he said of the former ambassador.

For his part, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea offered his condolences over Tueni’s death, remarking: “He was long imprisoned by grief, the greatest of which was the loss of his son Gebran, who defied oppressors by advocating life and freedom in Lebanon.”

“Ghassan Tueni knew and we knew that he knew that love could be as powerful as death and life in prison is stronger than death,” he added.

“Whoever can survive life behind bars can overcome death,” he declared.

Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour noted on Friday that “through his death, Lebanon and the Arab world have lost a symbol of intellect, journalism, and diplomacy as he took brave stances that will be remembered in Lebanese political life and handed down to future generations.”

Ghassan had indeed a very impressive career and a life fraught with tragedies. I know that words cannot ease the sorrow that is in our hearts over his death. He will always be remembered as a symbol of intellect, journalism, and diplomacy and his memory will remain vivid in our hearts forever.
We brought nothing to this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out (1 Tim. 6.7).
May God, the comfort of the sad, and the strength of those who suffer let the lights of His Power perpetually shine upon the soul of Ghassan and work in him the good purpose of His perfect Will.

PS Ending the piece with a quote from the current FM is a heart breaking reminder of how far we have fallen. There was a time in the 1980s when Ghassan Tueni (as UN Amb.) went toe-to-to with the toughest and most articulate Israeli FMs and Ambassadors, on American TV, and came out on top. We are now back in the fold as a "regular" Arab country represented by nobodies spouting inane cliches.